TreatTicket secures £1m of funding

JUST THE TRICK: TreatTicket’s Mary McCall is pictured with board members Mervyn McCall, Sháá Wasmund and Tristan Brittan-Dissont.

Northern Ireland-based start-up TreatTicket.com has attracted significant funding and a heavyweight board as it bids to take on the big boys in the daily deals sector.

The company, a UK wide group buying website headquartered in Newtownabbey, said it had secured almost £1m in private investment since launching in May 2011.

The business offers discounted daily treats to over 140,000 discount hungry subscribers – 45,000 in Northern Ireland – becoming a new strand of the marketing mix for businesses in Belfast, Newry, Derry, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Glasgow.

TreatTicket has also secured the services of local business leader Mervyn McCall and Sháá Wasmund, an internationally acclaimed digital entrepreneur and author.

Managing Director Mary McCall gave up a job in the civil service to focus on starting the business, confident that there was room in the market to take on large firms like Groupon by building closer relationships with business partners and subscribers.

In September TreatTicket plans to launch two new platforms which will give local businesses access to a much larger market, she said.

The company founder believes that the new board members will help drive this expansion of the business as it develops a strategy to be present in every city in the UK and Ireland and become a national brand.

“As Chairman and non-executive director respectively Mervyn and Sháá bring unrivalled business and digital expertise and their appointments are important in realising our growth model over the coming years,” said Mary.

“Our board will be the envy of many and I believe is vital in assisting the company’s future growth in the digital market.”

Also joining the board as a non-executive director on behalf of investment finance company Esynergy Ltd is Tristan Brittan-Dissont, Fund Manager for Northern Ireland Spin Out Funds.

At present, TreatTicket employs eight staff at its headquarters in Newtownabbey but expects this number will grow significantly in the next 12 months.

New chairman Mervyn McCall, who is best known as former Director of Mivan and Chair of the Institute of Directors NI explained why he got involved.

“Mary’s infectious enthusiasm for TreatTicket coupled with strong business acumen will be vital ahead of the coming launch of new digital products and platforms to strengthen the TreatTicket relationship with both providers and customers,” he said.

“In just one year TreatTicket has doubled its valuation. It’s a very exciting Northern Ireland digital start-up and I look forward to working with Mary and her team.”

Digital guru and business author of the bestselling “Stop Talking, Start Doing”, Sháá Wasmund added: “How consumers shop and avail of discounts has changed considerably in recent years.

“TreatTicket is at the forefront of the ongoing digital shopping revolution and some of the Apps and products we plan to bring to market will revolutionise how businesses interact with customers and how consumers locate discounts in their location.

“No matter what the size of your business, if you’re selling via the high street you should be using TreatTicket as part of your marketing mix.”

The business said it has already saved “TreatTicketers” in Northern Ireland over £1m since its launch, and believes local businesses are also reaping the rewards of being featured on the daily deals site.